MMO1614 - Post-medieval hard at The Gore (Monument)

A post-medieval and 20th Century slipway or hard, visible as an augmented natural feature, centred at SS 8555 4846 was mapped from aerial photographs taken in 1972. Located on The Gore, the rectilinear feature has been created by clearing the large pebbles from the beach, so that vessels launched and/or recovered from/to the shore and the 20th Century dated ornamental boathouse (MSO7986) on the beach could be done so safely. The cleared area is about 88 metres long and about 11.5 metres wide, though that flares at the seaward end to 15 metres wide. This feature is visible on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map, implying that there was an extant launching place at that location prior to the 1880s. The feature was still visible in aerial photographs taken in 1999. [1-4] A rectangular area in front of a boathouse (MSO7986) appears to be have been cleared of shingle to create a sandy beaching area or slipway. [5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]